Champoor uprooted Tamil villagers demand early resettlement

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2010, 16:31 GMT]The Champoor Division Uprooted Tamil Villagers’ Association has decided to request relevant authorities to allow them to cultivate during the forthcoming Maha season about three thousand acres of paddy fields belonging to them located in the High Security Zone (HSZ). Sri Lanka Army (SLA) demarcated large areas as HSZ after the SLA captured Champoor and adjacent villages of Koonitheivu and Soodaikudha in the military operation in April 2006. The Association took this decision at the general meeting held recently.

One resolution passed at the same meeting requests the government authorities concerned to allow them to restore the destroyed historic Champoor Paththirakali Temple and to consecrate it, as the temple is revered by Hindu community not only in Champoor but also in other parts of Sri Lanka.

The temple was destroyed in the military operation of the Sri Lanka Army in April 2006 military operation.

A second resolution states that Champoor Maha Vidiyalayam and Champoor Murugan Vidiyalayam have been temporarily functioning in Chennaiyoor Central College, and Koonitheivu Navalar Vidiyalayam and Soodaikudha Barathi Vidiyalayam have been temporarily functioning in Killiveddy without basic facilities to students and teachers. Relevant authorities should take immediate steps to provide such facilities to these schools without further delay, the resolution said.

Hundreds of thousands of Tamil villagers uprooted from Champoor, Koonitheivu and Soodaikuadha have been staying in temporary shelters far away from their traditional villages without basic facilities for the last four years with out resettlement in sight.

Action should be taken by authorities concerned and Tamil elected representatives to expedite resettlement, according to the third resolution passed at the general meeting.